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Compensation & Benefits

Scrap the ice scraper; allow employees to telecommute

12/18/2015
There isn’t a worse sound than someone scraping ice off their windshield at 6:30 in the morning. You don’t have to make employees choose between taking a snow day and working, if you allow them to work from home. While you’re crafting a telecommuting policy, don’t forget the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Download this worksheet for 2015 Forms W-3/941

12/17/2015
Use this worksheet to reconcile your four quarterly 941s and W-2s, so the amounts you report to the SSA and the IRS match.

2016 tax data–knowledge is power

12/17/2015
The IRS has released the tax information employees need to more closely match their 2016 withholding to their 2016 income tax liability.

Bad-weather absences: When must you pay exempt employees?

12/16/2015

The snow’s coming down pretty good and an exempt employee calls to say she can’t make it in today because her car is stuck. Can you deduct a full day’s pay from her salary for that missed day? What if she’s non-exempt? What if you close work because of bad weather? Here’s guidance to help you make the call.

Workers’ comp reinstatement must fit physical restrictions

12/16/2015
Under workers’ comp rules, people who are injured at work are entitled to reinstatement into open jobs for which they are qualified and which fit any physical restrictions. The penalty for not placing a worker in such a job is one year’s wages.

No unemployment benefits: New duties weren’t grounds for quitting

12/16/2015
Employees who quit generally aren’t entitled to unemployment compensation. Unless something occurred that would compel a reasonable worker quit, employees won’t get benefits.

Give employees easy access to paystub info

12/16/2015

You must provide all employees easy access to their pay records. It’s not enough to tell workers they can log in from a computer at home or elsewhere. Give them a place at work where they can easily and quickly check their pay.

ACA compliance news you can use

12/15/2015
The Affordable Care Act is finally in full swing for all large employers. Let’s get caught up to date.

Tax season means ID theft; here’s how you can stop it

12/15/2015
The opening of tax season is a bonanza for identity thieves. The IRS and state tax agencies are determined to cut down on so-called stolen identity refund fraud, or SIRF for short. You can catch this wave, too, and help employees guard their personal identifying information.

3 states subject to FUTA credit reductions for 2015

12/14/2015
Three states are on the 2015 FUTA credit reduction hit list.